Advent Calendar Day 4 – Forest berry vinegar

Last summer a friend of mine asked me to water his plants while he was on vacation with his family. I happily agreed. I already knew the plants and they knew me from the summer before – so it looked like we would get along well. This also boosted my expectation that I would return the plants from my care more or less in the same shape as when I received them. So much to the good omen. Unfortunately we did not expect to be surprised by a summer hailstorm which came one Sunday morning in a rush and did not leave a stone or better a plant unturned. The plants hardly survived, but diligent as I am, I kept watering them – and the good news: they survived, but only by little.

Despite the state of the plants, my friend treated me to a few bottles of flavoured olive oil and dark balsamic vinegar. I fell in love with the forest berry vinegar he gave me. It did not take long until I had emptied the bottle from eating simply too many salads (but I wonder: can you ever have too many salads?).

The results below are the measures to treat my newly found addiction to berry vinegar. It goes well with salad, especially greens … and you will have a nice present from your kitchen in case you need a friend to water your plants.

Preparation:
1) Wash and dry berries or use frozen berries. Put berries in a clean, sealable glass bottle (I used an one-liter-bottle with screw-on lid and an one-liter-canning jar with clip lock).
2) Wash and dry herb twigs and add to the bottle.
3) Fill bottle with vinegar. Close bottle tightly and shake.
4) Let it sit in a dark place for 10-14 days without opening. Shake daily.
5) Pour vinegar through a fine-meshed sieve into a pot. Discard berries and herb twigs.
6) Add sugar to vinegar and bring to boil.
7) Fill vinegar into a sterile 500 ml bottle and close. Store in a dark place.

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Hello & welcome to Strudel & Cream! I am Alexandra and this is my creative playground where you will find visual food stories from the heart of Europe! (Food) photography, the process of preparing food and exploring new (and old) places are my daily yoga - and that is what this place is about.
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